Ski Mountaineering Report: Pierra Menta
After following Eric around the US and Canada; skiing, biking, running and climbing, we thought we had seen it all. Our last trip was over the top. Having missed the World Championships because we did not know for sure if he would qualify for the US Team, we were excited to see a world cup race. Eric had suggested the Pierra Menta, a stage race in the French Alps that was going to be celebrating its 30th anniversary. I don’t think we could have made a better choice. The race is sometimes referred to as the “Tour De France” of Ski Mo, with its four days of racing at extreme altitudes. Starting with a time trial on day I and ending with the climb of the Grand Mont with over 100,000 spectators on day four, the 165 out of 183 two person men’s; teams that started, covered over 10,000 vertical meters. It is in many ways like a hard four day mountain stage stretch in the tour, with the average day being about 3 hours, versus five on the bike. The main differences are that ski mo is totally unsupported. The skiers cannot accept any assistance, and of course, they are not on a bike.
The terrain changes from flat to steep, involving skiing straight up with skins, zig zagging as it steepens, “boot packing” with skiis on the pack up the steepest terrain, and with clipped in ropes at times. And then there are the insane down hills, where the skiers willing to take the greatest risk can make up time. Here is a brief video clip form the skier’s perspective on day 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5NjN-fyD5M. The teams are made up of two skiers, who must leave each transition zone and cross the finish line within five seconds of their partner. They can actually rope together, which many of the top teams did at times in the steep portions of the final stages. Days two through four were mass starts and each day included a run through one of the villages. The run through Areches started at the bottom of the hill and wound its way through the spectator lined streets and alleys to the top of the city on a hill and back onto the snow.
The race involved the best ski mo racers in the world and was dominated by teams for the alp countries such as Italy, France, Spain, Andorra, Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The Top Italian and French teams held onto the top four spots throughout the event, with the French team taking only the fourth stage by one minute losing the Pierra Menta by just three minutes, over a 10 hour course. There were about 25 women’s teams, with the Italians also winning. They actually do the very same course and were only a couple of hours behind then top men’s teams.
Eric Carter and Nick Elson from the US and Canada are best friends, living and training near sea level in Squamish BC, Canada for the past few years. They competed separately for their countries in the team race at the World Championships taking 19th and 22nd overall all with their countrymen partners. Together at the Pierra Menta they had an epic race, taking 20th overall in the team trial they felt off to a good start. On day two, they passed a couple of teams, moving to 18th overall. In the third stage they moved to 16th place. To take 15th overall (the very best ever by a North American team of Reiner Thoni and Andrew Nab from Canada), they needed to gain over four minutes on the 15th place French team ahead of them. Coming across the finish line 4:30 ahead they moved into 15th overall, probably the best ever for male American finishers in the event’s history.